Michigan State University Athletics
MSU Hockey Downs Minnesota In Battle Of Top-Ranked Teams
11/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 24, 2000
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - College hockey pollsters couldn't decide who was the nation's top-ranked team. For the time being, the Michigan State hockey team has made the voters decision an easy one.
Brian Maloney (Bassano, Alta.) scored a power-play goal with 1:37 left in regulation as the Spartans (9-1-2 overall, 7-1-2 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) edged Minnesota (9-2-2, 7-1-2 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) by a 3-2 margin in front of a sellout crowd of 9,850 at Mariucci Arena tonight in both teams' first game of the annual College Hockey Showcase. MSU entered the game ranked first in this week's US College Hockey.com poll while Minnesota was the top team in Monday's USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll.
The Spartans got a power-play chance with 2:33 left in the third period when Minnesota's Dylan Mills was whistled for slashing Jeremy Jackson (Langley, B.C.). Maloney, stationed in the near faceoff circle, netted the game-winner by taking a feed from Brad Fast (Fort St. John, B.C.) and firing a wrist shot that beat Golden Gopher goaltender Adam Hauser on his short side.
Minnesota opened the scoring with the lone first-period goal, taking advantage of a Spartan defensive breakdown. The Golden Gophers' Matt Leimbek picked the puck up behind the MSU net and passed to teammate Stuart Senden, who skated into the near faceoff circle and fired a low shot past Spartan goaltender Ryan Miller (East Lansing, Mich.) for his first goal of the season at 13:36.
Neither team could muster a goal in a tight-checking second stanze, but the Spartans evened the score3:20 into the third period on a goal by Steve Clark (Missisauga, Ont.). The marker was made possible by MSU defenseman Jon Insana (New Baltimore, Mich.), who held the offensive zone at the near point on a Gopher clearing attempt. Hauser made the save on Insana's shot, but an uncontested Clark picked up the loose puck in the slot and easily scored his second goal of the year.
Jackson extended his point streak to five games and gave MSU a 2-1 edge with a nifty one-on-one move at 4:06 of the third period. The freshman broke into the Minnesota zone on the far side, sliced toward the slot and wristed the puck past spawling Golden Gopher goaltender Adam Hauser.
The Spartans had a prime opportunity to add an insurance goal when Minnesota's Erik Westrum went into the penalty box at with 7:41 left in the third frame for high-sticking. The Golden Gophers capitalized, however, as Aaron Miskovich got behind the Spartan defense on a clearing attempt and beat MSU netminder Ryan Miller (East Lansing, Mich.) top-shelf 17 seconds into the MSU power play to even the score at two apiece.
Miller, who has allowed two or fewer goals in each of his last 11 starts, made 25 saves en route to his ninth win of the year. Hauser made 28 stops for Minnesota, which saw its seven-game unbeaten streak come to an end.
The Spartans play the second of their two College Hockey Showcase games on Sunday in Madison, when WIsconsin welcomes MSU to the Kohl Center for a 3:05 p.m. EST faceoff.
